Gluten-Free Chocolate Éclairs

This one is for my mom! It was her birthday yesterday and this is the dessert I made for the celebration. My mom is a lover of all things French, especially pastries. Once we learned how to make eclairs in culinary school this week, I knew I had to try to adapt them to be gluten-free.

If you read my story on the NFCA website during celiac awareness month, you know that after my son was diagnosed with celiac disease, I was diagnosed and then my mom was too. It’s crazy to think we’ve been living with these issues for years and never knew it! I think it’s been hardest on my mom. She grew up in Egypt and attended French schools her whole life. She was an AP French teacher (along with other languages) until she recently retired. When we were little, she set up a trip for us to spend part of the summer living in an adorable apartment in a residential neighborhood in Paris.

I loved traveling through France with my mom who spoke the language so beautifully and helped us navigate our way through the incredible sights. Of course, we ate a lot of delicious food there as well. Funny enough, my favorite meal was the rotisserie chicken we would get down the street from a corner store and the Orangina I drank to wash it down. I also loved the pastries. These éclairs, though gluten-free, definitely measure up to the best of them.

In school we used a large star tip to pipe out the éclairs and the pastry cream. I used my trusty ziploc bag and cut off a corner to pipe everything out at home. As you can see, it still came out pretty. You decide which method you’d like to use. This recipe has quite a few steps. Nothing this good ever comes easy, does it? You have to make the dough for the éclairs, the pastry cream and the chocolate all from scratch. You can prep all 3 a day ahead and just assemble the éclairs right before serving.

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7 Comments

I have to find then, a substitute for the milk. As I am also lactose-free and gluten-free, and low fat. I’m on chemotherapy, always suspected the gluten aspect, but to eliminate all dairy is tough. I’ve returned to the Middle Eastern cuisine of hummus, baba ghanoush, fava bean and chickpea salad as the Lebanese do, and rediscovering rice: brown, wild, and a mixture. I will miss tabouleh, but I find that quinoa is a good substitute. Thanks again for your blog. I will keep reading! Thank you for your education, experience, and devotion.

I love your site and recipies I am also gluten and dairy free…. will have to find a substiture for the milk and cream . I did makd creme puffs from my moms recipe using gluten free flour and almond milk and they turned out okay. Maybe canned coconut milk will be better.

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I have always loved food. Loved to cook. Loved to talk about food, think about food, read about food. You get the gist. Food + Me = Love! Recently, my relationship with food was challenged. My love turned to fear.Read My Story